Sweet Nightingale
by pandorabox82
Summary: As they reminisce about their childhoods, Derek tells Erin that he has a surprise for her.


"What was your childhood like?"

The sudden question caught her by surprise, and she looked up at Derek, a small frown on her lips as she tried to come up with an answer for him. "I don't think it was much different from everyone else in my peer group. Daddy was a prominent lawyer, which allowed Mama to stay at home with me. I had piano lessons, voice lessons, horseback riding lessons, we vacationed every year in Europe. By all accounts, it was a good childhood."

Derek reached out to tug on a piece of her short blonde hair, and this time Erin smiled before scooting her chair a little closer to his. "So, you were a snob."

"Probably. I know that I was afforded more opportunities than the average child. But even though Mama stayed at home, she wasn't a good parent. And Daddy was distant, since his work kept him away from home much of the time. When you rub elbows with senators and representatives, home isn't a place that you come back to. Unless it's to give a smashing party and show off your perfect daughter's skills at piano and singing."

"You've never sang for me."

Erin felt herself turn shy as she looked down into her lap. "I've sang Hank to sleep, when we have him for visitation, but you were gone to work. And I guess that I never thought to sing for you. My voice isn't what it once was. After John, and the cocktail of drugs and alcohol that he fed to me that night, something's changed in me."

She heard his chair scrape against the floor, and found herself crying as soon as his arms were wrapped around her. "Shh, darlin', I didn't mean to make you cry. I forget just how hard it was for you to come back from what he did, since you seem so strong."

"That was another thing that Daddy taught me. No matter how you feel on the inside, you don't let it show on your face. I only broke my mask three times, and two of those were around you, funnily enough."

"And the third?"

"When I thought I was dying. Aaron held me so tightly, trying to tell me that everything was going to be all right, and I just cracked, telling him to tell my children that I loved them all equally, that they needed to know that despite how it might have seemed. It was terrible to be so out of control." It was the most she had ever told him about that night, since she didn't like speaking about it. "Can, can we talk about something different? Tell me some happy things from your childhood. I know that you loved your father dearly, enough to name your son after him."

He nodded as he helped her to her feet, leading them into the living room. She let out a soft sigh as they sat down on the sofa, curling her feet underneath her as she let her head come to rest on his chest, listening to his heart beat. "The part of Chicago where we grew up was rough, and with three mouths to feed, Mom and Dad both had to work. And there was no way I could ever ride a horse, let alone have lessons. But we were happy." Derek began to regale her with a peewee football story, and she found herself giggling at the picture of a tiny Derek tackling a much larger boy and getting ice cream on the way home as a result.

"So, obviously, Hank will be in football this year, but I was wondering if Savannah would be upset if we got him into something a little more froufrou?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"All my children took music lessons of some sort, starting at Hank's age. I have a contact with the local symphony, and if we want, Hank is welcome to go in and look at the instruments next Saturday, to see if he's called to a particular one. I didn't want to tell you until I knew that we could make that happen."

"I don't see why she'd have a problem with that. And we can make a day of it, head out to eat, maybe find a stable where we can ride as a family."

Erin pulled away to look up into his face, a soft grin curving her lips upwards. "That would be lovely." She let out a little sigh. "I still don't know what I did to deserve this happiness in life. My children are finally speaking to me again, Savannah doesn't hate me quite so much, and Hank is just so perfect. And I have your love to light my way."

"Rossi was a fool to give up on you."

She let out a little chuckle as she shook her head. "I was a bitch during my recovery. I was just so angry that he used my year chip as a way to mock John before everything went to hell. Alex could have been killed in his need to prove a point to the man. The cracks that formed in the foundation of our relationship grew too large to ignore, and then his daughter showed up and didn't like me, and things fell apart." Erin sat up before maneuvering her body so that she was straddling him, looking into his eyes as she smiled and then kissed him. "If it hadn't been for Penelope holding out the proverbial olive branch, we would never have found what we did. Even if our relationship was borne out of the sorrow of your breakup with Savannah."

"Penelope did what any good friend would do, and told me what had been happening." He leaned in and kissed her softly. "I never thought that you'd be a part of my moving forward."

"I didn't think that either, but this is the sweetest thing I could ever hope to have in my life at this age." This time, she was the one who kissed him before pulling back and running her hand over his head. "It's still early, and not too cold. Would you like to take a walk around the block with me?"

"I'd love nothing more," he replied before gently pushing her off his lap. Once they were both standing, Erin took hold of his hand and led him to the door, stepping into her trainers before tugging a warm sweater over her head. "I hate that you still get so cold."

"It's a parting gift of the MDMA and how it affected my system. Sometimes a scar is more than just an infinity symbol on your wrist," she said wryly as she opened the door and made her way out onto the porch. Derek joined her soon after, and then they were holding hands once more before heading down the sidewalk. The late afternoon sunlight streamed down on them, and she began to hum beneath her breath as they went along. Derek pulled her closer to his side, letting go of her hand so that he could sling his arm around her waist.

Their pace was aimless, but she found herself smiling a little wider when Derek guided them into an almost deserted park and over to the swing set. There wasn't anyone there, and he gestured towards it. "Want to relive a part of our childhood?" he asked as he took a seat on one of the swings.

"You're on! Which one of us can swing the highest?" she challenged as she took her own seat, getting going. It was difficult to start, to force her legs to remember how to swing. There was something so freeing about the sensation of wind whipping against her face, and a joyous laugh spilled from her lips as she started to go higher and higher. Glancing over at Derek, she found that he wasn't going quite so hard as she was, seemingly content to watch her. "You're just going to let me win?"

"No, but I just thought that I'd watch for a little bit at first. After all, I have to see what I'm up against," he teased, and she rolled her eyes a little as she stuck her tongue out at him, continuing to swing just as fiercely, allowing herself to start singing the song that was bubbling up in her heart. She hadn't felt this happy in ages, even though the last eight months with Derek had been some of the happiest in her life. But in that moment, with her eyes focused on the bright blue October sky, she knew that the happiness had been building to that moment, to the feeling of peace that had descended upon her and filled every fibre of her mind. "Sing louder, you sound beautiful!" he called out when she was high in the air, and she nodded as she allowed the song to pour from her lips.

Soon, she saw that he was swinging in time with her, and their tandem movements again filled her with a joy that she couldn't describe. Turning her head, Erin focused on him this time, directing her song towards him as they went almost as high as they could. "I guess it's a tie," she called out as she relaxed a little, letting the swing slow its movements as she drew in a deep breath of air. "I love you, Derek."

"And I love you, my sweet nightingale," he replied. They came to a stop eventually, and then she reached out for his hand, threading their fingers together as they slowly swung back and forth. "I don't care what other people have said about your voice, but it sounds lovely, Erin. I wish that I could make you understand how proud I am of you, for how much you've overcome and how free you are with me."

Derek planted his feet on the ground, stopping his swing before slipping off it and getting onto one knee in front of her, pulling something out of his pocket before reaching for her hand. "Derek?"

"I don't know if we're ready for this next step, but I rather like living with you. So, rather than asking you to marry me, I want to ask, will you stay?"

He turned her hand over and pressed two objects into her palm. Gazing down, she saw that there was a newly cut key and a ring resting there. "You changed the locks?" she whispered as she slid the ring into place on her finger, admiring the sapphire he had chosen for her.

"No, this is a key to our cottage on the lake. I had been flipping it, like I flipped Savannah's house. Well, it was ours, once upon a time, but I couldn't stay there, not after everything that happened. But when I started working on this cottage, I fell in love with it, and I knew it would be the perfect place to grow our family. To bond us together, and celebrate the good times. So, while I might not be ready for marriage again, yet, I am ready to start a life with you."

"Oh, yes," she breathed out, and then she fell forward into his arms, embracing him tightly as she pressed a series of kisses to his face. "Can we go there this weekend?"

"We could go now. After all, it's Friday afternoon, we're both home from work for the week, and there is nothing holding us back. I only have one demand."

"And what would that be?" she asked as they got to their feet and started back towards home.

"I want you to sing on the way there."

She laughed as she nodded, slipping her hand into the crook of his arm as they walked along. "I suppose that I could handle that request. It will take me a few minutes to put bags together for the two of us, if you want to pack a few snacks."

"Already ahead of you, Erin. The truck is loaded and ready for us."

Erin grinned up at him. "You really do think of everything," she murmured as they turned towards the garage. "It shouldn't surprise me, but it is nice to be taken care of like this."

He nodded as he helped her up into the truck. "That's one of the things I love to do for my partner, take care of them. Protect them. And love on them the best that I can for the time I'm given with them. Hopefully, it will be forever."

"That's my hope, too," she whispered as she buckled her belt and waited for him to get behind the wheel and take off. "How far away is our cottage by the lake?"

"About forty minutes. You don't have to sing the entire time, but I did make a playlist of your favourite songs to listen to on the way up." He started the vehicle and then pressed a few buttons on the console, Erin smiling as she heard "Mamma Mia!" start to play. As Derek pulled out onto the street, she began to sing along quietly, watching as the scenery changed from suburbia to rural homes to countryside. Finally, he turned down a dirt road, and she let out a deep sigh of pleasure as she allowed the peace of the view to slip into her soul.

A small frown marred her face when Derek parked next to a familiar car, and she turned to look at him. "We have guests already?"

"There's nothing like a house warming than to be surrounded by family. Penelope brought your children with her. I figured our best friend is close enough to be considered family now." She nodded as she leaned over and kissed his cheek before clambering from the car and jogging up to the front door. Penelope opened it as quickly as she could, and then Erin was being pulled into a tight hug as she was led into the house.

"We've been waiting for you for an hour! What took so long?" Penelope asked before she kissed Erin's cheek lightly.

"Well, I had no idea that this was going to happen, so Derek and I went to the park and swung for a little while. Do you want to see the ring he gave me?" she asked, feeling breathless and happy. Penelope nodded, and Erin held out her left hand, letting Penelope take hold of it as she ran her thumb over the stones. "Isn't it lovely?"

"It is," Penelope said before she hugged Erin once more, guiding her into the living room. "I thought that we could start the official tour here, Hot Stuff. The kids and I have been very patient to not explore while we were waiting for you."

Erin looked up to see her children seated on the sofa, bright grins on their faces. Everyone was there, including Karen's husband, and she allowed herself to cry for joy at seeing their faces. They all had their own lives now, and getting them all together was so rare. Tabitha was the first to pop to her feet, hurrying to her side before hugging her tightly, nuzzling her nose against the side of her head before kissing her cheek. "This is a beautiful place, Mama."

"And we've only seen this room and the outside," she replied as she held out her arm. Karen and Bruce were soon embracing her as well, and she sniffled a little as Derek came up behind her, gently letting his chin come to rest atop her head. "All right, darling, give us the grand tour. And I want you to point out all the personal touches that you put in to this cottage. Because I know that there are probably a hundred or more."

"Of course, sweet nightingale. Let's head upstairs first, so I can drop off our bags and then head from there." She nodded a little before leaning her head back and kissing the side of his jaw. This was heaven, and she couldn't wait to bring Hank here and help mold his childhood into one as happy as she had experienced.


End file.
